Committee hears hours of testimony on bill to require in-person testing for homeschooled students; measure deferred

The House Committee on Education heard hours of public testimony on HB 2376 on Feb. 17 as parents, students and advocacy groups filled the room and Zoom lines to urge opposing positions.

Proponents, including the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, told the committee that regular checkpoints could help identify children who are falling behind. Tess Ulrey, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, said the bill ‘‘would have provided a more robust system of support for [students’] future and an understanding of their own progression.’’

Opponents were far more numerous in the hearing record. Will Estrada of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association said the measure is ‘‘unnecessary’’ and would ‘‘hurt homeschool families by reducing the flexibility that homeschooling offers,’’ while many parents and dozens of students testified that mandatory in-person testing would impose logistical burdens and cause stress. A 16-year-old testifier, Elijah Scott, said the bill would remove ‘‘the flexibility of homeschooling’’ that in his case allowed him to advance in math and nearly graduate early.

Department of Education officials told the committee they are tracking homeschooling data and have begun using an Infinite Campus module this year to record homeschool reports; Deputy Superintendent Jesse Suki described challenges such as follow-up when families do not submit annual reports and the logistics of administering large numbers of students at some campuses.

Opponents emphasized existing accountability under Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 12 and argued the bill duplicates or narrows current authorities. Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii President Daniel Mather said parents already must submit standardized-test results in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 and annual progress reports, and that the bill ‘‘duplicates’’ existing accountability and risks harming parental rights.

The hearing record includes many personal accounts from students and parents who said standardized testing in a public-school environment can be stressful and does not reflect homeschooling curricula. Students testified that testing at unfamiliar campuses produced anxiety and that many homeschoolers already use validated assessments at home.

After hearing testimony from hundreds of speakers, the committee did not advance HB 2376. The chair said the volume of opposition and the variety of issues raised—logistics, parental rights, child welfare and school capacity—warranted deferral; the committee deferred the measure during decision-making.

What happens next: The committee deferred HB 2376; no date for further action was set. The DOE said it is working on better tracking of homeschool reporting and is discussing coordination with DHS for cases of concern.